Comparison

SLAB vs BarbellBeat

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SLAB

Features
Read full description

SLAB is a voice-first workout tracker and food logger, built for lifters who hate fumbling with their phone mid-set and calorie counters who don't want the friction. Speak naturally. Say "225 for 5, felt heavy" or "200 grams of chicken breast" and SLAB logs it. No tiny buttons. No number pickers. No friction. HOW IT WORKS - Talk to SLAB like a training partner - It parses your voice into structured data - It tracks your calories, workouts, goals, PBs and previous weights, times, and durations - One tap to talk, then back to lifting BUILT FOR THE GYM Your hands are chalked. You're wearing wrist wraps. You're between sets and your rest timer is running. You don't want to tap through forms and scroll number pickers. SLAB lets you log with your voice and get back to work. TRACKS WHAT MATTERS SLAB remembers your personal bests and what you lifted last time. See your progress without digging through spreadsheets. ZERO FLUFF Dark mode only. No gamification. No confetti. No cartoon mascots. Just your lifts, your stats, your progress. SLAB Pro unlocks unlimited voice logging and full training history. Privacy Policy: https://getslab.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

BarbellBeat

Features
Read full description

There's one question I kept coming back to during my workouts. Why does everyone rest for the same amount of time? Some people recover fully in 60 seconds. For others, their heart rate is still elevated after 90. Yet most training still runs on a fixed timer. So I made this. BarbellBeat uses your Apple Watch to track how your heart rate recovers between sets, and tells you when you're ready for the next one. - Real-time heart rate recovery tracking - Haptic alert the moment you've recovered - Every workout and rest interval saved automatically Train by recovery, not by the timer.

Screenshots

SLAB4 screens
BarbellBeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BarbellBeat at none against SLAB's 2. BarbellBeat also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). SLAB's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. SLAB sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. BarbellBeat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SLAB ships an update fortnightly, BarbellBeat every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
SLAB versus BarbellBeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSLABBarbellBeat
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better17.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size54 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew LowerTayon Kim

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SLAB

Subscriptions2
  • SLAB Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • SLAB Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

BarbellBeat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SLAB free?
SLAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BarbellBeat free?
BarbellBeat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SLAB or BarbellBeat have ads?
Neither SLAB nor BarbellBeat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SLAB or BarbellBeat?
SLAB ships an update fortnightly, and BarbellBeat every 5 days. Most recently, SLAB was updated on October 24, 2026 and BarbellBeat on October 22, 2026.

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